There are some great photographers out there that I admire who have the tenacity to stick with their project 365 throughout the year. Project 365 allows you to take a photo a day throughout the year chroniciling your life and your vision. It’s not an easy task but I asked some folks on their tips to help us stick with this rewarding project.

1. Discipline

I notice photographer TJ Powell’s 365 project on Twitter and I asked him about his biggest hurdle. He said, “My biggest obstacle was remembering to take the photo. I tried to do this in 2010 but failed because I could never remember to take the photos. So, this time I went with using my iPhone only, and I set up a reminder to take a photo at 6 PM so that I would not forget. I tried to get the photos posted onto Facebook every day but there were many days that I had to post them in a group but I was able to get the photo on each day.”

If you need more direction or help check out the free app Project 365. The app arranges your photos in a meaningful way, sends daily reminders and allows you to share photos with friends and family. It’s designed to help you easily keep on track for the year.

2. Details and Light

When TJ got into a rhythm of taking a photo a day, he noticed that he became more aware of the world around him. He said, “The 365 project challenged me pay closer attention to the world around me and pay attention to the light and subject to photograph. Over the year, I began to look at light and events during the day to be photo op. I am now looking for things to take photos of all the time. I think it will make me a better photographer to continue this project for 2014.”

3. Make it Easy

Don’t give yourself an excuse to skip a day. Bring your camera with you everyday and everywhere. It’s understandable you probably don’t want to drag your professional DSLR around with you, thanks to the inventions of smartphones with decent cameras, you now have the opportunity to have a camera with you. TJ said, “All of my photos were taken with the iPhone, none on this project were taken with my “regular” cameras. I found it to be much easier to do it this way as it is always with me and I was able to process and get the photos ready all in the palm of my hand and not have to get to the computer. “

4. Experiment

Although there needs to be some rhythm and discipline to Project 365, it’s also a channel to let you allow you to break out of your comfort zone. You’ll find throughout your year, you’ll crave creativity more and will challenge yourself. Otherwise your project becomes a job and you’ll get bored with it easily and will abandon it.

(stock photography)

5. Save It Organize it Print It

Keeping a handle on 365 images can be daunting, but thanks to the popularity of the project there are now apps to help you efficiently save and organize your images. TJ said he relied on CollectPhotoApp. The basic version is free on Itunes you can also upgrade to the pro for $1.99. Another great one is called Photo 365 available on Itunes for $1.99.

Finally, don’t forget to print it! you can print out these square calendars through Adoramapix. You can print them out individually or make a great keepsake photo book. You can also do a combination maybe have a calendar on page and a few of your favorites on the next. Let your creativity flow while archiving it for future generations.

Whether you worked on a 365 day project or your family adventures for 2014, now is the time to organize your memories from the last year. From photo books, to calendars to gallery walls we have you covered.

A. Photo Books

1. 365 / 52 Projects

Congratulations – you did it! You took a picture every day in the year 2014 with Project 365. You were determined, you were motivated, you were disciplined with your craft. Whew — you’re done. What? No! Now it’s time to preserve your memories with an AdoramaPix photo book. Yes, we do have a template that would be perfect for your project. Within our PixPublisher, you will find a lot of different themes. The best theme to suit this project is a 76 page Collage. The theme is perfect because it can host all of your images from your project. It has different sizes and orientations to suit whatever subjects you covered last year. All of that hard work and discipline can be showcased for future generations.

2. Year in Review

Put your holiday memories or 2014 milestones into a stunning photo book you can look back on in years to come. Whether it’s your family’s high-lights or watching your little ones grow, don’t let those images sit on your hard drive or phone – give them a home in 2015. Creating a year in review photo book may be a bit daunting but there are some easy steps to keep focused. Start with the right photo book; make sure to pick one that will handle a year of images. Next, pick a vision or a road map for your book. Want to do month by month or just hi-light the seasons? Whatever road you take, make sure to keep consistent with your idea throughout the book.

B. Calendar Ideas

Back in the day, you’d be happy just receiving your free calendar from the local grocery store. My how times have changed. Now, you can be just as crafty and passionate about the design, color and images as a photo book.

We have a few ideas to help you make the best of your 2014 memories into 2015 calendars.

1. Children Through the Seasons

Most of us have captured our children throughout the year. Now is the time to get those images off the phone and computer to put into a beautiful calendar. It’s ok, if you don’t have every season captured to match the month. It’s more about seeing their world from their eyes in 2014. In 2015, try capturing your children in each month as a portrait. There are some things as parents that we do, take the kids on vacation, take the kids to the pumpkin patch etc. Why not take 5 minutes out of each these adventures to set up a quick portrait? It doesn’t have to be perfect but it should be representative of the month. Once you make a practice of it, you’ll find it easy to make a calendar each year.

2. Instagram

Did you know you can directly upload your images from your Instagram account? You can! What an easy way to make a calendar! Upload your Instagram images and choose your favorites to showcase throughout the year. This will keep you inspired throughout 2015 and it documents your art from 2014!

C. Gallery Walls

Take a collection of your photos and turn them into pieces of art. Throughout the year, we have shown you ideas on how to group images together for the most impact. If you have a big space to fill, instead of doing one larger images, consider making a gallery of like photos. It can be just as effective and dramatic. Plus, if you don’t want to bother with the framing, remember our metal, acrylic and canvas prints come ready to hang.

We hope these ideas will inspire you to get serious about not letting your memories stay as jpegs. Give them a life and a home in 2015. #longliveprints

Webinar Schedule

Our FREE PixPublisher software can be used by amateurs and professionals alike to create stunning photo books that showcase your pictures beautifully. During this beginner level class we help you get started with PixPublisher by showing you how to create a book from start to finish.

This intermediate level workshop assumes attendees know the basics of our PixPublisher tool and have built at least a few books using it. During this workshop we will discuss more advanced techniques that can help to improve the quality of your photo books.

No matter your skill level, everyone has questions at one time or another. These open sessions are provided so AdoramaPix customers can ask any questions regarding PixPublisher or AdoramaPix photo books. If you’re wondering how to do something, let a live instructor show you how

With Wedding season upon us, more and more of you will have a need to create beautiful wedding albums for yourself or for your clients. In this free workshop we discuss a variety of techniques and resources available to help you to make wedding books that will really stand out.